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Superman V (Film)
Superman V Before the failure of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Cannon Films considered producing a fifth film with Albert Pyun as director. Cannon's bankruptcy resulted in the film rights reverting back to Ilya and Alexander Salkind. Ilya Salkind wrote the story for Superman V (also known as Superman: The New Movie) with Superboy writers Cary Bates and Mark Jones in the early-1990s. The story had Superman dying and resurrecting in the shrunken, bottled Krypton city of Kandor. The premise of Superman's death and rebirth coincidentally predated "The Death of Superman". Salkind, Bates and Jones developed two drafts of the script, with Christopher Reeve set to reprise the title role. Other proposals ''Superman Reborn'' With the success of "The Death of Superman" comic book storyline, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights of Superman from the Salkinds in early 1993, handing the project to producer Jon Peters. The studio did not want to use Superman: The New Movie, and Peters hired Jonathan Lemkin to write a new script. Warner Bros. instructed Lemkin to write the new Superman film for mainstream audiences, a style for the MTV Generation of the 1990s. The additional family film approach would add to Superman's toyetic appeal, similar to Batman Forever. Major toy companies insisted on seeing Lemkin's screenplay before the deadline of the American International Toy Fair. Lemkin's script, titled Superman Reborn, featured Lois Lane and Clark Kent with relationship troubles, and Superman's battle with Doomsday. When Superman professes his love to Lois, his life force jumps between them, just as he dies, giving Lois a virgin birth. Their child, who grows 21-years-old in three weeks, becomes the resurrected Superman, and saves the world. Warner Bros. did not like the script because of the similar underlying themes with Bruce Wayne's obligations of heroism found in Batman Forever. Peters hired Gregory Poirier to rewrite the script. Poirer's December 1995 script had Brainiac creating Doomsday, infused with "Kryptonite blood". Superman has romance problems with Lois Lane, and visits a psychiatrist before he is killed by Doomsday. An alien named Cadmus, a victim of Brainiac, steals his corpse. Superman is resurrected and teams with Cadmus to defeat Brainiac. Powerless, Superman wears a robotic suit that mimics his old powers until he can learn to use his powers again on his own, which, according to the script, are a mental discipline called "Phin-yar", a concept similar to The Force. Other villains included Parasite and Silver Banshee. Poirier's script impressed Warner Bros., but Kevin Smith was hired to rewrite. Smith thought Poirier's script did not respect the Superman comic book properly. ''Superman Lives'' EnlargeTeaser poster that premiered at American International Toy Fair in 1997, designed by Sylvain Despretz. Kevin Smith pitched Peters his story outline in August 1996, and was allowed to write the screenplay under three conditions. Peters wanted Superman to wear an all-black suit, feeling the more traditional suit was "too faggy". He also did not want Superman to fly, arguing that Superman would "look like an overgrown Boy Scout." Smith wrote Superman flying as "a red-and-blue blur in flight, creating a sonic boom every time he flew" Peters also wanted Superman to fight a giant spider for the climactic showdown. Smith accepted the terms, realizing that he was being hired to execute a pre-ordained idea. Peters and Warner Bros. also had Smith write a scene involving Brainiac fighting polar bears at the Fortress of Solitude, and Peters wanted Brainiac to give Lex Luthor a space dog, stating "Chewie's cuddly, man. You could make a toy out of him, so you've got to give me a dog. Peters' additional Star Wars similarities were due to the recent re-release of the original Star Wars trilogy, such as Peters' insistence that Brainiac's robot assistant L-Ron was to be voiced by Dwight Ewell, calling the character, "a gay R2-D2 with attitude." Peters was able to recycle his giant spider idea in Wild Wild West, a film he produced. Smith's draft (titled Superman Lives) had Brainiac sending Doomsday to kill Superman, as well as blocking out the sun to make Superman powerless, as Superman is fueled by sunlight. Brainiac teams with Lex Luthor, but Superman is resurrected by a Kryptonian robot, The Eradicator. Brainiac wishes to possess The Eradicator and its technology. Powerless, the resurrected Superman is sheathed in armor formed from The Eradicator itself until his powers return, courtesy of sunbeams, and defeats Brainiac.11 Smith's casting choices included Ben Affleck as Clark Kent / Superman, Linda Fiorentino as Lois Lane, Jack Nicholson as Lex Luthor, Famke Janssen as Mercy, John Mahoney as Perry White, David Hyde Pierce as The Eradicator, Jason Lee as Brainiac and Jason Mewes as Jimmy Olsen.12 Robert Rodriguez was offered the chance to direct, but turned down the offer due to his commitment on The Faculty, despite liking Smith's script.8 Smith originally suggested Tim Burton to direct his script,10 and Burton signed on with a pay or play contract of $5 million. Warner Bros. fast tracked production and set the theatrical release date in the summer of 1998, the 60th anniversary of the character's debut in Action Comics.9 Nicolas Cage, a comic book fan, signed on as Superman with a $20 million pay or play contract, believing he could "re-conceive the character."8 Peters felt Cage could "convince audiences he Superman came from outer space."13 Burton explained Cage's casting would be "the first time you would believe that nobody could recognize Clark Kent as Superman, he Cage could physically change his persona."14 Kevin Spacey was approached for the role of Lex Luthor,14 while Tim Allen claimed he was in talks for Brainiac,15 a role heavily considered for Jim Carrey.10 Courteney Cox was reported as a casting possibility for Lois Lane, while Smith confirmed Chris Rock was set for Jimmy Olsen.15 Michael Keaton confirmed his involvement, but when asked if he would be reprising his role as Batman from Burton's Batman films, he would only reply, "Not exactly."16 Industrial Light & Magic was set for work on special effects.8 EnlargeDesign for the Superman suit by James Carson and Sylvain Despretz8Filming was originally set to begin in early-1998.17 In June 1997, Superman Lives entered pre-production,8 with an art department employed under production designer Rick Heinrichs.14 Burton decided to hire Wesley Strick to completely rewrite Smith's script. In return, Smith was overtly disappointed: "The studio was happy with what I was doing. Then Tim Burton got involved, and when he signed his pay-or-play deal, he turned around and said he wanted to do his version of Superman. So who is Warner Bros. going back to? The guy who made Clerks, or the guy who made them half a billion dollars on Batman?"8 When Strick read Smith's script, he was annoyed with the fact that "Superman was accompanied/shadowed by someone/something called The Eradicator."8 He also felt that "Brainiac's evil plot of launching a disk in space to block out the sun and make Superman powerless was reminiscent of an episode of The Simpsons, with Mr. Burns doing the Brainiac role."8 However, after reading The Death and Return of Superman, Strick was able to understand some of the elements of Smith's script. Strick's rewrite featured Superman as an existentialist, thinking of himself to be an outsider on Earth. Superman is threatened by Brainiac and Lex Luthor, who later amalgamate into "Lexiac," described by Strick as "a schizo/scary mega-villain."8 Superman is later resurrected by the power of 'K,' a natural force representing the spirit of Krypton, as he defeats Lexiac.8 Art designer Sylvain Despretz claimed the art department was assigned to create something that had little or nothing to do with the Superman comic book, and also explained that Peters "would bring kids in, who would rate the drawings on the wall as if they were evaluating the toy possibilities. It was basically a toy show!"8 Peters saw a cover of National Geographic, containing a picture of a skull, going to art department workers, telling them he wanted the design for Brainiac's space ship to have the same image. Burton gave Despretz a concept drawing for Brainiac, which Despretz claims was "a cone with a round ball on top, and something that looked like a emaciated skull inside. Imagine you take Merlin's hat, and you stick a fish bowl on top, with a skull in it."8 Concept artist Rolf Mohr said in an interview he designed a suit for The Eradicator for a planned scene in which it transforms into a flying vehicle.18 Burton chose Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as his primary filming location for Metropolis,8 while sound stages were reserved8 but start dates for filming were pushed back.9 A minor piece of the Krypton set was constructed but then destroyed, and Cage had even attended a costume fitting.19 The studio was also considering changing the title Superman Lives back to Superman Reborn.20 Deeming Wesley Strick's script too expensive, Warner Bros. enlisted the help of Dan Gilroy to rewrite it into something more economically feasible. Gilroy lowered the $190 million budget set by Strick's draft to $100 million. However, the studio was still less willing to fast track production, due to financial reasons with other film properties,21 having Gilroy turn in two drafts.22 Ultimately, Warner Bros. chose to put the film on hold in April 1998, and Burton left to direct Sleepy Hollow.9 At this point in production, $30 million was spent, with nothing to show for it.8 To this day, Burton has depicted the experience of Superman Lives as one of the worst experiences in his life, citing various differences with Peters and the studio, stating, "I basically wasted a year. A year is a long time to be working with somebody that you don't really want to be working with."23 Disappointed by the lack of progress on the film's production, aspiring screenwriter/comic book fan Alex Ford was able to have a script of his (titled Superman: The Man of Steel) accepted at the studio's offices in September 1998. Ford pitched his idea for a film series consisting of seven installments, and his approach impressed Warner Bros. and Peters, though he was later given a farewell due to creative differences.7 On the experience, Ford quoted, "I can tell you they don't know much about comics. Their audience isn't you and me who pay $7.00. It's for the parents who spend $60 on toys and lunchboxes. It is a business, and what's more important, the $150 million at the box office or the $600 million in merchandising?"22 With Gilroy's script, Peters offered the director's position to Ralph Zondag,8 Michael Bay, Shekhar Kapur and Martin Campbell though they all turned down the offer.7 Brett Ratner turned down the option in favor of The Family Man.24 Simon West and Stephen Norrington were reportedly top contenders as well.25 In June 1999, William Wisher Jr. was hired to write a new script, and Nicolas Cage assisted on story elements.26 Cage dropped out of the project entirely in June 2000,27 while Wisher turned in a new script in August 2000, reported to have contained similar elements with The Matrix.7 In October 2000, veteran comic book creator Keith Giffen pitched a 17-page story treatment with Lobo as the main villain, but the studio did not proceed with further involvement.8 Oliver Stone was then approached to direct Wisher's script, but declined,7 while in April 2001, Paul Attanasio was hired to completely start on a new script, earning a salary of $1.7 million.8 Peters offered Will Smith the role of Superman, but the actor turned it down over ethnicity concerns.28 edit] Batman vs. Superman Although it was widely reported that McG had become attached to Attanasio's script, in February 2002, J. J. Abrams was hired to write a new screenplay. It would ignore "The Death of Superman" storyline, and instead, it would reboot the film series with an origin story,29 going under the title of Superman: Flyby.7 The project had gone as far as being greenlit, but McG dropped out in favor of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.30 The studio approached Wolfgang Petersen to direct Abrams' script;31 however, in August 2001,32 Andrew Kevin Walker pitched Warner Bros. an idea titled Batman vs. Superman, attaching Peterson as director. Abrams' script was put on hold,31 while Akiva Goldsman was hired to rewrite Walker's draft which was codenamed Asylum.33 Goldsman's draft, dated June 21, 2002, introduced Bruce Wayne attempting to shake all of the demons in his life after his five year retirement of crimefighting. Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon are all dead. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is down on his luck and in despair after his divorce with Lois Lane. Clark serves as Bruce's best man at his wedding to the beautiful and lovely Elizabeth Miller. After Elizabeth is killed by the Joker at the honeymoon, Bruce is forced to don the Batsuit once more, tangling a plot which involves Lex Luthor, while Clark begins a romance with Lana Lang in Smallville. Peterson had mentioned Matt Damon when stating what type of an actor he was looking for either of the two roles.33 Inspired by Tobey Maguire's performance in Spider-Man (2002), Peterson was searching for actors who "can really act and give complexity and emotions, but would have the fun of being a great superhero and maybe pump up a little bit." Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, James Franco, Jude Law and Paul Walker were reportedly considered for either of the two roles as Batman and Superman.31 Christian Bale was simultaneously approached to portray Batman for Darren Aronofsky's Batman: Year One,34 while Josh Hartnett was offered the role of Superman.30 Filming was to start in early 2003, with plans for a five to six month shoot. The release date was set for the summer of 2004.35 Batman vs. Superman was to reboot both the Batman and Superman franchises with a series of separate sequels.31 However, Warner Bros. canceled development when Peterson committed himself to Troy, and after Abrams submitted another draft for Superman: Flyby.33 Peterson still has expressed interest in directing Batman vs. Superman sometime in the future (with Bale as Batman),36 as has Bryan Singer.37 In the opening scene of I Am Legend, a large banner displays the Batman symbol within the Superman symbol in Times Square. It is meant as an in-joke by writer Akiva Goldsman, who wrote scripts for Batman vs. Superman and I Am Legend.38 edit] Superman: Flyby Turning in his script in July 2002, J. J. Abrams' Superman: Flyby was an origin story that included Krypton besieged by a civil war between Jor-El and his corrupt brother, Kata-Zor. Before Kata-Zor sentences Jor-El to prison, Kal-El is launched to Earth to fulfill a prophecy. Adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, he forms a romance with Lois Lane in the Daily Planet. However, Lois is more concerned with exposing Lex Luthor, written as a government agent obsessed with UFO phenomena. Clark reveals himself to the world as Superman, bringing Kata-Zor’s son, Ty-Zor, and three other Kryptonians to Earth. Superman is defeated and killed, and visits Jor-El (who committed suicide on Krypton while in prison) in Kryptonian heaven. Resurrected, he returns to Earth and defeats the four Kryptonians, while the script ends with Superman off to Krypton, leaving a cliffhanger for a sequel.7 Brett Ratner was hired to direct in September 2002, originally expressing an interest in casting an unknown for the lead role, while filming was to start sometime in late 2003.39 Ratner approached Josh Hartnett and Jude Law as Superman, but conceded that finding a famous actor for the title role had proven difficult because of contractual obligations to appear in sequels. "No star wants to sign that, but as much as I've told Jude and Josh my vision for the movie, I've warned them of the consequences of being Superman. They'll live this character for 10 years because I'm telling one story over three movies and plan to direct all three if the first is as successful as everyone suspects."40 Hartnett was offered $100 million for a three-picture deal, but turned down the offer.41 Although Superman: Flyby was being met with a budget exceeding $200 million (not including money spent on Superman Reborn, Superman Lives and Batman vs. Superman), the studio was still adamant for a summer 2004 release date.30 Christopher Walken was in negotiations for Perry White, while Ratner expressed an interest in casting Anthony Hopkins as Jor-El, and Ralph Fiennes as Lex Luthor (two of his cast members in Red Dragon).4243 Christopher Reeve was to be a project consultant, citing Tom Welling, who portrayed the teenage Clark Kent in Smallville as an ideal candidate. Reeve added "the character is more important than the actor who plays him, because it is an enduring mythology. It definitely should be an unknown."44 In addition Paul Walker was offered the role,7 while Ashton Kutcher screen tested40 and Brendan Fraser and Matthew Bomer auditioned.30 Kutcher decided not to accept the role, citing scheduling conflicts with That '70s Show and the Superman curse, as well as typecasting.45 Jerry O'Connell expressed interest for the role,45 while David Boreanaz auditioned, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Angel.46 Victor Webster did an entire screentest that included wardrobe as both Clark Kent and Superman,46 while James Marsden met with director Brett Ratner.4647 Joel Edgerton (who turned down the chance to audition as Superman) auditioned for Ty-Zor, before Ratner dropped out of the project in March 2003, blaming casting difficulties,48 and violent disagreements with Jon Peters.49 McG returned as director, while Fraser expressed interest, but had fears of typecasting.50 Selma Blair was in talks for Lois Lane,51 while ESC Entertainment was hired for visual effects work, with Kim Libreri as visual effects supervisor and Stan Winston designing a certain "prototype suit".52 McG approached Shia LaBeouf for Jimmy Olsen, with an interest to cast an unknown for Superman, Scarlett Johansson as Lois Lane and Johnny Depp for Lex Luthor.53 Neal H. Moritz and Gilbert Adler were set to produce the film. McG also commissioned Josh Schwartz to rewrite the Abrams script. He wanted to shoot in Canada, which would have cost $25 million more than WB's preferred Australian locale. McG also shot test footage with several candidates, including Jason Behr, Henry Cavill and Jared Padalecki41 before dropping, blaming budgetary concerns and filming locations. He opted to shoot in New York City and Canada, but Warner Bros. wanted Sydney, Australia. McG felt "it was inappropriate to try to capture the heart of America on another continent."54 He later admitted it was his fear of flying.55 Abrams lobbied for the chance to direct his script,56 but Warner Bros. replaced McG with Bryan Singer in July 2004, resulting in Superman Returns.57 http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/06/29/cary-bates-superman-movie/ Category:Development of sequels Category:Superman films